or Yoga....

Suppose you want to start a new physical activity. You want to jump in and go to several classes each week.

Your friend suggests Yoga, and you sign up. You pick the monthly plan, which is $105 for unlimited sessions. You decide to come twice per week.

That works out to an average cost of $13 per class.

If you'd signed up at the local Gracie Jiu-Jitsu class, the monthly fee is $85. New White Belts attend twice per week, giving an average cost of under $11 per night.

After a few months the White Belts can attend a third class, bringing the price down to about $6.50. Thrice weekly Yoga runs $8 a class.

Turn into a Blue Belt, and you can hit 6 classes. That brings it to a mere $3.27 per time, as opposed to Yoga at $4.04.

Maybe this is the wrong way to look at it. Maybe it is the total per month. OK, Yoga is $105 while Jiu-Jitsu is $85.

The benefits of Yoga are exercise and relaxation. People who do it for any length of time describe it as enjoyable.

Jiu-Jitsu has exercise, and learning a self-defence skill. It isn't usually called relaxing. It is also enjoyable, and sometimes is just plain fun.

I assert it also teaches a better form of relaxation than Yoga. During Yoga you relax with calming music, seated on a comfy mat, doing a pose surrounded by calm people under gentle lights. In Jiu-Jitsu you learn to relax when somebody is trying to hold you down, in a noisy room, when your every instinct tells you to do anything other than relax.

I've never enjoyed exercise classes. I found Yoga boring and weight training even worse. I used to do aerobics, which at least has catchy tunes and is a form of dance.

I like classes where I learn things.

Clearly martial arts are not for everybody, and grappling arts more so than most. You work a lot with a wide range of partners, and they will be sweaty. If you can't stand that it won't be for you.

If that’s the case, you should try Karate. It’s $60 a month, and there is no rasslin’ around. You are normally working solo in a room of other people, punching and kicking the air with precision and power.

And the uniforms are cheaper than stuff from Lululemon.